CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the related literature, studies, theoretical framework, as

well as the research paradigm that has bearing on the study. These are

presented to establish the relationship they have to the topic of this research.

FOREIGN LITERATURE

Carol Tomlinson (1999) provides the most well-known definition of differentiated instruction. She
defines differentiated instruction as “a teacher’s response to learner’s needs guided by general
principles of differentiation such as respectful tasks, flexible grouping, and ongoing assessment and
adjustment.Teachers can differentiate content, process, and product according to students’ readiness,
interests, and learning profile” (p. 15). This definition is helpful as it provides us with the variables
teachers can modify to meet different student needs. However, there are unlimited combinations of
possible teacher responses, including those that modify content (what is taught), process (how students
learn), product (how students demonstrate learning), as well as those that adjust instruction in terms of
student readiness, interests, and learning profiles. There are so many possibilities that it is hard to
picture what differentiated instruction actually looks like on a daily basis in the classroom. It is difficult
to measure the impact that differentiated instruction may have on student learning because it takes so
many forms, and so many different elements can be adjusted.

Differentiated instruction is an approach that enables teachers to plan strategically to meet the needs of
every student. It is rooted in the belief that there is variability among any group of learners and that
teachers should adjust instruction accordingly.

The cornerstone of differentiation is active planning: the teacher plans instruction strategically to meet
learners where they are and to offer multiple avenues through which they can access, understand, and
apply learning. In differentiating lessons to be responsive to the needs of each learner, teachers must
take into account not only the content, but also the individual students. They need to know the varying
readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles of each of their students and then design learning
options to tap into these three factors.

Differentiation shapes an approach to teaching in which teachers proactively modify curricula, teaching
methods, resources, learning activities, and student products to address the diverse needs of individual
students and small groups of students to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in a
classroom (Bearne, 1996; Tomlinson, 1999).

The major challenges of differentiation include limited preparation time, large class size, teachers’ heavy
workload, lack of resources, teachers’ lack of skills in differentiation, and teachers’ lack of motivation to
differentiate (Chan, Chang, Westwood & Yuen, 2002; Scott, Vitale & Masten, 1998; Westwood, 2002).
Thus, teachers are expected to be proactive and respond effectively to the endless changing students’
needs while being mindful of each student’s learning process (Tomlinson, 2001).

“Teaching to the norm” has been a common practice in too many schools (Tomlinson, 2004). The blind
effects of overloaded and sometimes, contradictory policy demands often resulted in teacher
discouragement, professional knowledge ambiguity, significant degrees of work-related stress.

According to Tomlinson and McTighe (2006) “teachers attempt to differentiate instruction by giving
struggling learners less to do than other students and by giving more advanced students more to do
than other learners. It is not helpful to struggling learners to do less of what they do not grasp.’’ (p. 41)
Flexible grouping allows for fluid group configurations that can change over time to accommodate
individual student differences in ability, interest, and learning style preference.

According to Tomlinson and McTighe (2006) “teachers attempt to differentiate instruction by giving
struggling learners less to do than other students and by giving more advanced students more to do
than other learners. It is not helpful to struggling learners to do less of what they do not grasp.’’ (p. 41)
Flexible grouping allows for fluid group configurations that can change over time to accommodate
individual student differences in ability, interest, and learning style preference.